NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Smoking materials are believed to be the cause of a fire at the American Legion on Saturday night that forced the closure of the club.
A fire was reported as being in the walls of the American Legion Drive structure shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday. At least two dozen people were evacuated from the building and firefighters were quickly on the scene — the fire station is across the street from the post.
The blaze appeared to be concentrated in the wall of the exit on the north end of the building, where a disposal container for cigarettes is located. Firefighters cut through the wall and up to the ceiling of the

READSBORO, Vt. — A New York man incurred minor injuries on Friday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle and it hit a retaining wall.
Michael Bolognani, 19, of Hoosick Falls, was northbound on Main Street on his 2009 Kawasaki Versys Main Street when he slid off the roadway and collided with a retaining wall, reported state Trooper Nicholas J. Cervero of the Shaftsbury barracks.
The accident occurred near the county line at about 4 p.m. The weather conditions were clear and the road paved.
Northern Berkshire Ambulance Service in North Adams, Mass., responded and Bolognani was taken to the North Adams campus of

36, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
He was released on $2,500 bail. The charges are in connection with a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on June 20, 2018.
42, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of assault by means of a dangerous weapon.
He was ordered to serve 122 days at the Berkshire County House of Correction. He was given credit for 122 days served for the time he spent in jail waiting for the case to be resolved.
The charge stems from an incident in

The hood of the truck was popped open and dented.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Two people were severely injured after being hit by a pickup truck early Tuesday evening while walking on the sidewalk along West Main Street.
Tenisha Bessette, 23, and Daryl Boutin, 24, were struck from behind by a black 1999 Ford F-150 driven by Joshua Piantoni, 35, according to police.
Sgt. James Burdick said Piantoni was eastbound on West Main when he "veered off the roadway onto the sidewalk, striking from behind."
Bessette and Boutin, both of North Adams, were immediately transported to Berkshire Medical

The building is likely uninhabitable, which leaves eight people without a home.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Firefighters aggressively knocked down a fire in a Linden Street bedroom Monday afternoon.
Deputy Chief Thomas Sammons said that just before noon firefighters responded to 86 Linden Street where thick smoke was billowing out of the rear of the two-story structure.
"Initial units in made an aggressive interior attack and knocked it down quick," Sammons said.
The fire itself was knocked down in about 10 minutes, Sammons said, but it took time to overhaul the structure.
After the initial